Laser Weight Loss Outcomes

Conventional laser treatment has been used with some success to suppress appetite. In August 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a cold-laser technology for nonsurgical fat removal. Short-term studies indicate positive results, but long-term weight loss outcomes are uncertain.

History

• On Aug. 30, 2010, the FDA granted Erchonia Corp. clearance to market Zerona, the first noninvasive procedure that uses cold-laser technology for reduction of hip, thigh and waist size.

Features

• Cold-laser technology, also known as low-level laser therapy, melts fat inside fat cells. The body then eliminates the fat.

Results

• In a randomized, placebo-controlled study published in "Lasers in Surgery and Medicine," people who received low-level laser treatment lost an average of 3.51 inches across their hips, thighs and waist. The placebo group lost 0.69 inches. Participants received three treatments per week for two weeks.

Considerations

• The study's investigators caution not to equate size reduction with weight loss, though some clinics that offer the procedure market Zerona as a weight-loss treatment. Questions exist about the long-term health consequences.

Significance

• Cold-laser technology provided short-term size reductions in a credible, well-controlled trial. Long-term results have not been studied, however, and those outcomes may depend largely on personal diet-and-exercise behavior.